1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety needle holder assembly having a safety shield which is rotatable about the holder housing.
2. Description of Related Art
Needle holders, in conjunction with an evacuated collection tube and needle cannula, are routinely used by doctors, phlebotomists, nurses and the like to draw body fluid samples from a patient. During the use of such a collection needle assembly, the distal end of the needle cannula in the needle holder is inserted into a vein of the patient. The evacuated collection tube is then inserted into the rearward end of the needle holder until a needle (the proximal end of a double-ended needle cannula) within the needle holder pierces a closure on the end of the tube. The vacuum in the tube then draws a body fluid sample from the patient through the needle cannula and into the tube. After the collection process is complete the needle cannula is removed from the vein and disposed of.
Because of the great concern that users of such needles may be contaminated with the blood of a patient by accidental sticks from the contaminated needle, it is preferable to cover the contaminated needle as soon as it is removed from the vein. For this reason, many developments have been made to provide means for covering the contaminated needle, once it is removed from the patient. These devices usually involve some sort of shield arrangement that moves in place over the contaminated needle once it has been removed from the patient. However, these shield arrangements typically require the use of one or two hands to perform the operation of moving the shield over the contaminated needle, which is a hindrance to the user. In addition, it is also difficult to position the safety shield in a location where it does not interfere with the action of inserting the needle into the patient's vein.
A number of devices incorporate a safety shield assembly in which the shield can be pivoted away from the needle during use and pivoted about the needle after use for protection from the used needle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,611 discloses a reusable safety needle arrangement having a collar for engaging a needle and a slotted longitudinal shield which is attached to the collar at a hinge for pivoting over the needle. The arrangement includes a locking mechanism for locking the shield over the needle, which locking mechanism is provided through a set of flanges on the shield which grip a set of complementary catches on the collar. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,298,541 and 6,440,104 disclose a safety shield assembly for a double-ended needle for blood collection procedures with a safety shield attached to the needle hub through a collar. The hub includes threads for engaging a conventional needle holder such as that used with the VACUTAINER™ brand of blood collection assemblies sold by Becton, Dickinson and Company. While such shielding assemblies are effective, the safety shield cannot be rotated out of the way during needle insertion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,285 discloses a safety shield which attaches to the external surface of the holder housing. Specifically, the holder housing has a circumferential protuberance on the outer circumference of the needle port. The base of the safety shield has a corresponding internal circumferential groove which mates with the holder housing protuberance. The shield thus attaches to the outer circumference of the holder housing. Although the base of the shield is rotatable around the exterior of the holder housing, this design does not provide a mechanism which prevents the shield from becoming disconnected from the holder during use.
Thus, there remains a need for a safety holder assembly wherein the safety shield is attached collar rotates within the holder housing, thus preventing the safety shield from becoming disconnected therefrom during use.